Nine Naturals, Natural Skin Care for Pregnancy and Beyond

For many women, becoming pregnant suddenly triggers an acute awareness and concern for what they are putting in and on their bodies. From the obvious such as alcohol and caffeine, to each and every chemical, dye, GMO, and fragrance! I've talked about the dangers of phthalantes, parabens, dioxins, phosphates, and BPA before, but in a nut shell, exposure to high levels of these types of things can effect hormone levels, lead to birth defects, damage the immune system, cause cancer, lead to developmental and reproductive issues, and more. And it's not as difficult to achieve those high levels of exposure as you'd think since many of these accumulate over time in your body and are present everywhere in our daily lives - from your water bottle to shampoo to that anti-stretch mark cream you've been rubbing on your growing belly. Yep.

But before you get overwhelmed, know that there are simple changes you can make here and there to reduce your exposure and risk, such as choosing your food and skin care products wisely. And I'm here to introduce you to an awesome brand of skin care that will help you do just that!!

Nine Naturals skin care products for pregnancy and beyond are 100% plant based with no sulfates, phthalates, parabens, DEA, petrochemicals, synthetic ingredients, or artificial preservatives. All ingredients are screened for safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding and are formulated specifically for both natural purity and high performance (because what's the point if it's all-natural but doesn't do what it's supposed to do!?). They also practice ingredient transparence, by listing ALL ingredients on each bottle and describing what exactly each of those ingredients is in the ingredient glossary on their website.

From shampoo and conditioner to belly butter, body wash, moisturizer, deodorant, lip balm, and sunscreen, Nine Naturals has seriously got every type of skin care product under the sun! Many have an unscented version, as well as yummy scents such as Citrus + Mint, Mandarin + Ginger, and Vanilla + Geranium - YUM! 

I recently had the opportunity to test out two of their unscented products: the Natural Belly Oil and the Moisturizing Body Cream.

I found the moisturizing body cream to be nice and thick without being difficult to rub in. It's made from a "whipped trio of cold-pressed cupuacu, shea, and mango butters" and whipped is a really good way to describe it. For me, it looked and felt similar to a cream cheese frosting, ha! It has a very mild earthy scent and left my hands and skin a bit oily until absorbed fully, so I would recommend applying right after a shower and waiting a few minutes before throwing on your clothes.

Even though "unscented", the scent of the belly oil was quite bit strong (very "earthy") and I can't say I'm a fan. That said, the smell does go away after rubbing it in, and with an oil you really feel like you are super charging your skin to stay soft and supple and hopefully avoiding the dreaded pregnancy-related stretch marks! Also, the bottle has an easy to use mess-free pump, which is nice. But personally, I think I'll go with the Vanilla + Geranium belly butter next time! I'm a sucker for a yummy scent, especially when it's naturally derived!!

You can purchase Nine Naturals products from their website (receive a 10% off coupon when subscribing to their newsletter), on Amazon, and they're even about to be carried at Motherhood Maternity!

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When in doubt about a product you have at home or are considering purchasing, simply check it out on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database (they have a handy app that can scan bar codes as well) - it'll give you an overall safety score and rank the product for safety in 3 categories: risk for canncer, developmental/reprotoxicity, and allergy.

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Disclaimer: Although I did receive these products free of charge, all thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.